Ward 3 - Wilson feeders meeting last night: did anyone attend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New idea -- Let's just pay families to send their children somewhere else besides overcrowded schools like Deal and Wilson. Sounds dramatic, but hear me out ...

Right now, we're talking about spending tens or even hundreds of millions to build new schools in Northwest, just because DC doesn't want to impose rules that restrict anyone's right to attend Deal and Wilson. No politician wants to get criticized for changing boundaries, and every politician loves to give away free stuff. DCPS keeps saying it wants to generate ways to attract families into underutilized neighborhood schools, and it spends gobs of money renovating those empty schools and putting teachers and fancy education plans into those empty schools, but still parents would rather send children to overcrowded Wilson feeders.

So let's just pay people to leave Deal and Wilson. Paying $1,000 per student to 100 students costs only $100,000 total, which is by far the cheapest option of any DCPS seems to be considering. And because the money gets paid only if the student leaves the overcrowded school, we know it will be 100% effective, and the results will be immediate.

If people think it's unsavory to pay cash grants, DC could offer the money as a tax credit. That way, it's not even actual money out of the budget, but rather future collections which no one will even notice. If DCPS really wants to get the most bang for its buck, it could make the payments not just for leaving the overcrowded schools, but also for switching to a new school DCPS wants to pump up. If DCPS wants to get a cohort of students into new MacFarland MS, then just pay students $1,000 to switch from Deal to MacFarland. Not only does that reduce overcrowding at Deal, but it gets students to fill up MacFarland. DCPS could even create an application process for the payments, which allow DCPS to pick and choose whatever preferred mix of race, sex, academic achievement characteristics, and geography that it wants. That way, DCPS could get the exact right mix of equity, excellence and diversity it wants in the target school.

DCPS is wasting time trying to think up clever ways to attract students away from Alice Deal to other areas. Money talks and bullshit walks. DCPS should just pay people directly to do what it wants. That's far cheaper and more effective, and the families receiving the money will be happier.

The cheaper idea -- which would allow our glorious Mayor to fulfill her campaign pledge of "Alice Deal for All" -- would be to rename middle schools as "Alice Deal Middle School No. 1", "Alice Deal Middle School No. 2," etc. The only real costs would be for signage and printing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New idea -

Create a serious application arts MS magnet program at Ellington for about 150-200 students. Those students who do well get a pref for admission to Ellington high school.

You mean that they would get an admission preference ahead of the Maryland kids who attend Ellington? Now that would be a challenge.

[Anonymous]

For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

This is actually a good idea, although I dont know what MacFarlands total capacity is, and it's not supposed to be a totally dual language school.

You could help MacFarland's dual langauge side by allowing OOB students who are biliterate to test (Adams did this until it got too crowded). This would allow DCPS to recapture some students who now go to charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

I actually LOVE this idea! It would organically reduce the OOB at Deal/Wilson by reducing # at Shepherd. Lafayette would have a PK3 option. The distance isn't horrible (less than 10 minutes, even less when Wise, Beach cut throughs open back up). I do think you can entice some WOTP kids to go to Marie Reed, Bancroft for Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Truthfully, I'm shocked that anyone, never mind the last few posters, would think that paying families to not attend their in-boundary school is a good idea. You want to pay among the wealthiest families in DC an extra $1000, because even though the kids lucked out with wealthy families, we should give them extra resources to attend the crappy schools that are left over for everyone else.

What we need is a mayor/chancellor with some spine to re-draw boundaries in a reasonable way. Or if it really is impossible, build a new school.

Well, paying families could work, but only for those who would like the extra money. And it could not be based on race (even though "diversity" is a laudable goal), because clearly it would be a discriminatory, racist program if it did that. Instead, base the program on the kid's PARCC score and you might be on to something. It would be like an athletic scholarship or any other type of scholarship, based on academic ability. DCPS could use the program to "seed" grade-level students at certain underperforming schools. Of course, almost every DCPS school is underperforming, but a program like this could be used to prop up schools in particular neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New idea -- Let's just pay families to send their children somewhere else besides overcrowded schools like Deal and Wilson. Sounds dramatic, but hear me out ...

Right now, we're talking about spending tens or even hundreds of millions to build new schools in Northwest, just because DC doesn't want to impose rules that restrict anyone's right to attend Deal and Wilson. No politician wants to get criticized for changing boundaries, and every politician loves to give away free stuff. DCPS keeps saying it wants to generate ways to attract families into underutilized neighborhood schools, and it spends gobs of money renovating those empty schools and putting teachers and fancy education plans into those empty schools, but still parents would rather send children to overcrowded Wilson feeders.

So let's just pay people to leave Deal and Wilson. Paying $1,000 per student to 100 students costs only $100,000 total, which is by far the cheapest option of any DCPS seems to be considering. And because the money gets paid only if the student leaves the overcrowded school, we know it will be 100% effective, and the results will be immediate.

If people think it's unsavory to pay cash grants, DC could offer the money as a tax credit. That way, it's not even actual money out of the budget, but rather future collections which no one will even notice. If DCPS really wants to get the most bang for its buck, it could make the payments not just for leaving the overcrowded schools, but also for switching to a new school DCPS wants to pump up. If DCPS wants to get a cohort of students into new MacFarland MS, then just pay students $1,000 to switch from Deal to MacFarland. Not only does that reduce overcrowding at Deal, but it gets students to fill up MacFarland. DCPS could even create an application process for the payments, which allow DCPS to pick and choose whatever preferred mix of race, sex, academic achievement characteristics, and geography that it wants. That way, DCPS could get the exact right mix of equity, excellence and diversity it wants in the target school.

DCPS is wasting time trying to think up clever ways to attract students away from Alice Deal to other areas. Money talks and bullshit walks. DCPS should just pay people directly to do what it wants. That's far cheaper and more effective, and the families receiving the money will be happier.

I'd only take it if it covered private school tuition. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

I actually LOVE this idea! It would organically reduce the OOB at Deal/Wilson by reducing # at Shepherd. Lafayette would have a PK3 option. The distance isn't horrible (less than 10 minutes, even less when Wise, Beach cut throughs open back up). I do think you can entice some WOTP kids to go to Marie Reed, Bancroft for Spanish.

Nobody pays the price premium on their house specifically for the schools and then gives it up for 1K per year.

$35K per year AND per child for me would do it, though. (You want to cover our private tuition plus inconveniences. Per anum, or else guaranteed re-entry to the public of our choice. Per child, obviously.)

Hmm, maybe wasting $300 million on Coolidge HS for 50 students graduating should be re-considered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

I actually LOVE this idea! It would organically reduce the OOB at Deal/Wilson by reducing # at Shepherd. Lafayette would have a PK3 option. The distance isn't horrible (less than 10 minutes, even less when Wise, Beach cut throughs open back up). I do think you can entice some WOTP kids to go to Marie Reed, Bancroft for Spanish.

How does this solve Deal/wilson??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

I actually LOVE this idea! It would organically reduce the OOB at Deal/Wilson by reducing # at Shepherd. Lafayette would have a PK3 option. The distance isn't horrible (less than 10 minutes, even less when Wise, Beach cut throughs open back up). I do think you can entice some WOTP kids to go to Marie Reed, Bancroft for Spanish.

Nobody pays the price premium on their house specifically for the schools and then gives it up for 1K per year.

$35K per year AND per child for me would do it, though. (You want to cover our private tuition plus inconveniences. Per anum, or else guaranteed re-entry to the public of our choice. Per child, obviously.)

Hmm, maybe wasting $300 million on Coolidge HS for 50 students graduating should be re-considered?

I assume this is targeted at the OOB students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

I actually LOVE this idea! It would organically reduce the OOB at Deal/Wilson by reducing # at Shepherd. Lafayette would have a PK3 option. The distance isn't horrible (less than 10 minutes, even less when Wise, Beach cut throughs open back up). I do think you can entice some WOTP kids to go to Marie Reed, Bancroft for Spanish.

How does this solve Deal/wilson??

Because the OOB kids now get in through Shepherd, Eaton, Hearst, and Hardy feeders. If you pair the schools with students that are already IB for Deal/Hardy/Wilson you organically reduce the OOB feeding without the bad optics that's DCPS eliminated feeder rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the pairing issue, one idea is to cluster schools, so in the example of Lafayette/Shepherd make one PK3-1 and the other grades 2-5 or something. Lafayette gets PK3. the main issue is transportation and managing the schedule when kids in the same family go to both schools. The capitol hill cluster has addressed these issues with some but not complete success.

I would also like to see pairings of DCPS WOTP schools and the EoTP bilingual schools. Some WoTP parents should be willing to send their kids to Marie Reed, Powell, etc. if there is a core of high-performing students. Peeling off Bancroft and Oyster and sending them along with other bilingual schools to MacFarland would be painful but the best thing for Deal and Wilson and MacFarland and Roosevelt. That would also enable Adams to be repurposed, potentially for more early childhood seats

The math doesn't work though. Right now at Lafayette alone, the PK-1st population is around 350, which already exceeds the number of kids at Shepherd currently. Even if you did PK3-K it would be tight. So then you're looking at expansion...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL. $1000 is nowhere near enough. It wouldn't even offset what I would have to spend to make the school minimally acceptable and compensate for everything my child isn't getting. $10,000 would not be enough either. I just don't need the money and it isn' worth it.

OK, but the goal isn't to convince YOU to move. The goal is to convince 100 families. Those could be IB families who aren't as wealthy as you are, or IB families who are fed up already with the overcrowding and were thinking of leaving anyway, or OOB families for whom the money is a lot more attractive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So families who either live in the Deal/Wilson boundary or won the lottery now also get cash payments to attend schools that for other kids are their only option? This seems equitable to you?

Absolutely. People say DCPS won't "push" anyone out of Deal, and will only "pull" families out by attracting them to something they want more. So instead of just guessing what will attract those families, let's just give them cash which we know will attract most people.

This is complete B.S. DCPS tried to attract John Eaton families out of Deal (where Eaton kids have gone for like 70 years), to Hardy. When basically no one volunteered, DCPS pulled Eaton from Deal.

Of course no one moved - why give up Deal to go to Hardy? But if DCPS offers money now - and perhaps the implicit thread that if no one takes the money OOB might get pulled anyway - a lot of people might find the money attractive.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of it as a program that would pay a kid to go to a school in need of higher-achieving students: pay the kid to switch track from Deal to Francis-Stevens, for example. Or pay a Banneker kid to go to Eastern. A scholarship program like this would be interesting.